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Ben Franklin Academy NewsletterVol. 4, Iss. 7
February 2014
In This Issue
:: Addition Formal Uniform Day in March | Music Updates | Upcoming Nominations | Dodgeball for Dollars
:: Restaurant Nights | Girls Soccer | BFF Social | BENefit Bash Tickets on Sale
:: BFA Service Day | Mother/Son Event | Thank You, Volunteers! | PTO Gives Back
:: MCO Knows | Street Smarts at SouthGlenn | Important Dates
Car Pool

Dear Parents,  

 

Knock on wood, car pool is running very smoothly, and we consistently finish afternoon car pool just before 4 p.m. We are so efficient that we often find ourselves waiting for parents to arrive. Please make every effort to arrive at school before 4 p.m.

  

I have observed several near misses with cars almost rear-ending other cars that are going into the waiting area. If you are directed to the waiting area, please put on your flashers to let everyone know you will be pulling over and not proceeding to the exit. If you do not need to go to the waiting area, please stay on the left side as you exit. Doing these things will reduce the likelihood of an accident.

  

We continually have a difficult time getting enough volunteers to assist with car pool. Please make this a priority and take your turn volunteering. It is not fair to rely on the same people day after day. I do realize that work schedules may interfere with volunteering during car pool, and I do not expect anyone to miss work or put their job in jeopardy to assist, but the simple truth is we need people to make car pool run efficiently.  

  

Finally, no cell phone use during car pool. We have noticed more and more people on their cell phones during car pool, which is simply not safe.  We need your undivided attention to car pool. If you must take a call, please let a car pool monitor know so we can direct you out of the car pool line and to a parking spot.

Additional Formal Uniform Day in March

Class picture day (usually scheduled on a formal uniform day) had to be rescheduled this year, so there will be an additional formal uniform day in March to accommodate the new class picture date.

The formal uniform dates in March are as follows:
  • Wednesday, March 5 (formal uniform day on the first Wednesday of the month)
  • Tuesday, March 18 (rescheduled class picture day)
Upcoming Nominations  Vote Button
 

Board of Directors  

Are you, or someone you know, interested in getting more involved in BFA? BFA is seeking leaders, who are passionate and committed to our school, to become involved in school governance. For more information about the upcoming Board of Directors Election/Appointment, including the nomination and voting processes and qualifications, please click here. You also may contact Staci Ferguson, Board Secretary, via email. Nominations must be submitted online by midnight, Friday, Feb. 28.   


MCO Nominations
 

If you, or someone you know, is interested in becoming Chair of BFA's MCO Committee, please click here for more information or to fill out the nomination form. Feel free to nominate yourself or someone else. For more information, click here to view the MCO Chair job description. The nomination window closes at midnight, Saturday, March 1.  

To learn more about what the MCO does, click here

Lil' Ricci's Restaurant Nights
  
BFA's next Restaurant Nights are from Thursday, Feb. 20, through Saturday, Feb. 22. Lil' Ricci's will donate a percentage of all receipts back to BFA, so mark your calendars and remember to bring your flyer with you to the restaurant! 
BFF Social     croissant2.jpg
For Third Through Fifth Grades

 

Parents of third through fifth graders, this Ben Franklin Friends (BFF) Social is especially for you! Do you want to get to know other BFA families with kids in these grades? Come to the BFF Social after drop off until 10 a.m., Friday, Feb. 28, at the Lucent Super Target Caf� Starbucks.

 

The BFF Social is intended for parents to meet one another, ask policy questions and voice feedback about their experiences at BFA. Kids who are home with you are welcome.  

 

While the MCO is focusing on families with kids in third through fifth grades this month, BFF socials are always open to all BFA families. Hope you can join us! For any questions, please email the MCO.

BFA Service Day serviceday  
  
Looking for a great family opportunity to serve? The Marketing and Community Outreach (MCO) Committee and Ben's Brigade have just the event for you!

 

Please have you and your family join us from
9-11 a.m., Saturday, March 1
, at BFA.
The service projects we will be working on include preparing sandwiches for the Coalition for the Homeless,

decorating grocery store bags for Earth Day and cleaning up the outside of the school.

 

With this being a family service event, parents must remain with their children at all times. To sign up, click here.

  

Ben's Brigade is calling all dads to bring their tools and know-how to help work on things around the

school that need a little TLC. Ben's Brigade will be working at the same time as the family service events. To sign up to help with school TLC projects, click here.

MCO Knows Question mark
  

Q: What is the best way to communicate with my school?

 

A: BFA has a Parent Communication Policy that outlines the steps of the communication process. All communication between a BFA parent and BFA teacher or staff member should be civil and respectful. The following steps are for communicating with a teacher or staff member:  

  1. Email the teacher or staff member and give them 48 hours to respond to your question.  Do not proceed to step two until you have discussed the issue with your teacher.
  2. If the issue cannot be resolved at the teacher level, the parent should next discuss the issue with the assistant principal or principal.
  3. If the issue cannot be resolved by the assistant principal or principal, the parent should next contact the president of the BFA Board of Directors (Board).

For more information, the entire Parent Communication Policy can be found by clicking here.

  
Each week, the Marketing and Community Outreach (MCO) Committee will have a Q&A in this newsletter regarding policies or procedures at BFA. If you have questions you need answered related to BFA policies or procedures, please email the MCO. Your question will be answered via email and possibly used in a future Q&A.
  
Music Updates Music Notes  
  

Ms. Johnson, BFA's music teacher, is looking for photos from any performances this year. If you have any photos from various musicals or other performances, please email Ms. Johnson.


Willy Wonka Musical Performance

Willy Wonka's wonderful world of chocolate is coming to BFA! Middle school theater students have been preparing the show since November and are eager to show their family, friends and other BFA students. Come hear music from the original movie and meet Charlie, Wonka, Veruca, Violet, Mike TV and Augustus. We hope you can come to the show - it is at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, in the BFA Gym. Admission is free!

Dodgeball dodgeball for Dollars 
  

BFA is conducting Dodgeball for Dollars again this year with the middle school. All of the proceeds go to the American Heart Association (AMA) as part of our donations for Jump Rope for Heart.  

 

Dodgeball for Dollars will be held from 3:30-5:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 27,

in the BFA gym. Students have been informed if they are interested in participating to get a team of 10 together and then obtain an envelope from Mr. Cochrane, Academic Director. Once each of the 10 students have brought in $10 and returned the envelope back to Mr. Cochrane, they are officially registered for the event.  

 

Students who have registered will come to the gym at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 27. We will officially begin at 3:45 p.m. Anyone who would like to watch is welcome - admission is $2 and all proceeds also go to the AMA. Spectators will be allowed in the school starting at 4 p.m. because of car pool and the office

being closed. It is a double elimination this year, so don't worry, you will get to see plenty of dodgeball action! 
Girls Soccer soccerball  
  

Registration for girls soccer is now open. Practices begin the week of March 17; games begin the week of April 1.  

 

To register for girls soccer, click here. Please use this website throughout the season. Begin by clicking on the Girls Soccer tab to get information about the season and find the online registration link. Once you have registered online, go to the Forms page, print out the two forms (Medical Forms and Registration to Use Private Vehicles) and have them filled out by your doctor and insurance company. We rely heavily on parent volunteers to get girls to games. To do so, you must have a Registration to Use Private Vehicles form on file specifically for soccer. If you have a current medical form on file from another sport, you do NOT have to fill out another one. We hope it will be a great season - go Lightning Bolts!  

BENefit Bash Updates    
BENefit Bash 2014    
Tickets Now On Sale  
The BENefit Bash (BFA's premier fundraising and social event) is at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, April 26, at the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center (200 Inverness Drive, Engelewood).

Tickets to the BENefit Bash silent auction are $45 each and currently on sale! The first 25 individuals or couples who purchase tickets (non staff, as they get free tickets) will be entered in a drawing for a prize. If a teacher purchases a ticket for his/her spouse/guest, s/he will be entered in the drawing. To purchase tickets, click here.

Wine Wall
Donations (valued $10 or more) need to be brought to the front office and labeled for the auction with donor name and value.
 
Art Contest
A big thank you for for all of the art submissions for the BENefit Bash catalog. They are currently being voted on, and the cover page winner will be announced shortly. ALL art submitted for the contest will be printed in the catalog. 
Mother/Son Event
 
BFA's annual Mother/Son Event is coming up soon. This year will be a fun hoedown with lasso lessons, line dancing and a mechanical bull! So, put on your cowboy gear and mosey on down to BFA's gym from 5:30-9:30 p.m., Saturday, March 8.

Tickets must be purchased in advance through the BFA Store (sales end Monday, March 3). Cost is $20 per "couple" and $8 for each additional son. Price include
s all events, a BBQ dinner and a trip to the photo booth. 
PTO Gives Back     PTO Logo
 
One of the goals of BFA's Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is to create a sense of community in our school. 

As a treat to our students and families, we rented out Elvis Cinemas last week to provide a free movie on Valentine's Day since it was a day off from school. The PTO also offered free events last summer, including a night at Pirates Cove and family tickets to two Rockies games. We love BFA and want to offer parents and students a chance to connect outside of our busy schedules. 

The PTO is able to offer these events through your continued support of our ongoing programs and events like the upcoming BENefit Bash. 
Street Smarts at SouthGlenn Street Smarts at SouthGlenn
  
When you sign up for the Street Smarts email, BFA receives 1,000 points!
 
Visit shoppingpartnership.com/southglenn, click on Shopping Centers and select The Streets at SouthGlenn. It will ask for your email address and name. After you submit your information, you will be sent an email. Please open and click on the link to confirm; once you do so, BFA gets 1,000 points!    
 

BFA is one of 20 schools in the metro area that gets to participate in the Street Smarts for Southglenn program. If BFA ends up being the school with the most points, we can earn $2,500 for the school.

  

Earn Double Points

BFA can earn double points from the following Streets at SouthGlenn stores by logging your receipts by Friday, Feb. 28: Andrew's Jewelers, Apricot Lane, Bellezza Boutique, Chico's, Edible Arrangements, Elements Therapeutic Massage, Grapes Wine Market & Spirits, Trice Jewelers, Tropical Smoothie and White House | Black Market 

 

Don't have time to turn in your receipts from shopping or dining? If you don't need the receipts returned, you can turn them into a box in the front office (near the name badges/window). Copies of receipts are not accepted by the program.
Important Dates / Calendar of EventsCalendar Clip Art
  • BFA Vision and Hearing Screening: Through Thursday, Feb. 20 
  • Jump Rope for Heart: Through Thursday, Feb. 20   
  • Lil' Ricci's Restaurant Nights: Thursday, Feb. 20, through Saturday, Feb. 22  
  • Willy Wonka Musical Performance: 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, Gym 
  • Dodgeball for Dollars: 3:30-5:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 27, Gym  
  • Spirit Wear Day: Friday, Feb. 28
  • BFF Social (Third through Fifth Grades): After drop-off through 10 a.m., Friday, Feb. 28, Lucent Super Target Starbucks  
  • BFA Board of Directors Nominations Deadline: Midnight, Friday, Feb. 28 
  • BFA Service Day: 9-11 a.m., Saturday, March 1, BFA 
  • MCO Committee Chair Nominations Deadline: Midnight, Saturday, March 1 
  • Mother/Son Event Ticket Sales Deadline: Monday, March 3
  • TCAP Writing and Math (Third Grade): Tuesday, March 4, through Friday, March 14   
  • TCAP Reading, Writing and Math (Fourth through Eighth Grades): Tuesday, March 4, through Friday, March 14  
  • Formal Uniform Day: Wednesday, March 5  
  • Mother/Son Event: 5:30-9:30 p.m., Saturday, March 8, Gym      
  • Formal Uniform Day/Class Picture Day: Tuesday, March 18  
  • Yearbook Sales Deadline: Tuesday, April 1  
  • BENefit Bash Silent Auction: 5:30 p.m., Saturday, April 26, Inverness Hotel and Conference Center (200 Inverness Drive, Englewood) 
Upcoming Meetings        
  • Grant Committee: 9 p.m., Monday, March 3, Teleconference
  • Marketing and Community Outreach (MCO) Committee: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 4, Library
  • Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Committee: Wednesday, March 5, Sanders Science Lab (room 145)
  • School Accountability Committee (SAC): 4 p.m., Thursday, March 6, Conference Room
  • Finance Committee: 5 p.m., Monday, March 10, Library
  • Board of Directors: 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 11, Library
    • Find the latest BFA Board of Directors minutes by clicking here.  
  • Green Team Committee: 4:15 p.m., Wednesday, March 12  
  • Parent Teacher Organization (PTO): 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 13, Library  

Middle School Athletics     

  • Girls' Basketball:  
    • 4 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20, at BFA vs. Platte River Academy 
    • Tournament: Saturday, Feb. 22, SkyView Academy
Ben Franklin Academy Calendars
Sincerely,
 
Bob Barber
Principal
Ben Franklin Academy
Contact Us!
Ben Franklin Academy

2270 Plaza Drive, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

Main Office: (720) 383-4519 or [email protected]

Attendance: (720) 432-9239 or [email protected]

Web: http://www.bfacademy.org/

Fax:  (303) 974-1738  

Mission: Our mission is to develop young adults with character like America's founding Renaissance man, Benjamin Franklin: well-read, scientifically curious, and civically engaged. 


Vision: Our students will excel academically through a challenging, sequenced curriculum that emphasizes math, science, and literacy. We will be a data driven institution, focusing on individual students. Our students, teachers, parents, staff, and leaders will be held accountable for the success of our school. Finally, we recognize that an education is incomplete without fostering the arts, sports, nature, and character.


13 Virtues:
Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Purity and Humility.